First Wave Of SNES Classic Consoles Sells Out In Minutes, Reinforcements Incoming But Can Nintendo Keep Up

There was no doubt that the Nintendo SNES Classic Edition was going to be a big hit with gamers when it was released this past Friday. We saw preorders sell out in rapid fashion online, and it appears that brick and mortar locations across the United States also witnessed quick sellouts when the console went on sale.

"Customer demand for the SNES Classic was just like we expected," said GameStop SVP of Merchandising Bob Puzon. "We sold out of our SNES Classic inventory within minutes in both our GameStop and ThinkGeek retail channels.

"But customers shouldn’t worry. We’re getting more very soon. Once we do, our customers will be the first to know!”

We haven't heard from other brick and mortar retailers yet -- like Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Toys R Us -- with regards to how fast SNES Classic Edition console were snapped up by customers, but we'd imagine that they saw a similar voracious appetite from gamers (and likely resellers looking to make a quick buck).

The question remains, however, as to whether Nintendo can keep up with demand. The company was famously unable to meet the demands of the gaming public with the NES Classic Edition, which was released last year. However, Nintendo of Americas President Reggie Fils-Aime promises that things will be different with the SNES Classic Edition.

“I would strongly urge you not to over-bid on an SNES Classic on any of the auction sites... You shouldn't [have to] pay more than $79.99," said Fils-Aime in early September. He went on to add that production numbers would be "dramatically increased" compared to the NES Classic Edition.

Nintendo also announced that while SNES Classic Edition production was originally intended to last through 2017, it will extend the production window into 2018. In addition, the NES Classic Edition will head back to the retail space in Summer 2018.

We have the feeling that Nintendo is toying with us a bit with both consoles, as a recent teardown of the SNES Classic Edition shows that the internals are close copy of what's found inside the NES Classic Edition. The only main difference between the two is the outer casing (which is rather trivial) and the number of controllers included in the box.